Social Services Representative

Duties
The Social Services Representative performs duties with authority to act and make decisions of a non-professional nature in service delivery to referrals of victims of domestic or family violence in compliance with the requirements of 25 CFR Part 20, that include:

• Conducts interviews, assessments, and makes homes visits and collateral contacts as needed to obtain selected information to determine applicant's safety and to help develop safety plans with or on behalf of the family members involved.

• Arrange care of children if needed and identifying resources to meet the immediate needs of the families involved.

• Assist with filing of temporary protection orders, provides information about the court process for temporary protection orders, hearings, and orients the client to the court room when necessary.

• Coordinates with law enforcement, the court, shelter providers, and other human service agencies, to rapidly address the needs of the families or individuals referred.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience:

GS-7: Applicants must possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level; or its non-federal equivalent. Specialized experience can be evidenced by:
Basic knowledge and understanding of domestic violence; cycle of abuse, forms of abuse, causes and effects of abuse, and available interventions; develop programs and services for the community, families, and individuals; work with individuals, families, and groups with cultural sensitivity; knowledge of social welfare, education, and health programs in order to refer persons to appropriate programs;

GS-6: Applicants must possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level; or its non-federal equivalent. Specialized experience can be evidenced by:
Experience in a program of direct social welfare services that required the application of program policy and operations knowledge in providing social welfare services and/or assisting social workers; basic knowledge of programs and resources within the BIA and other federal, state, and local agencies dealing with welfare or social services; general knowledge of programs and policies within the branch of social services;

Note: These examples are not all inclusive and do not limit specialized experience to the listed examples.

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General Experience:

GS-5: Applicants must possess 3 years of general experience of which 1 year of experience is equivalent to the GS-4 level; or its non-federal equivalent. General experience can be evidenced by:
Work in a social services activity or other organization that required the ability to conduct interviews; to collect and analyze pertinent facts; to provide needed information, advice, and practical assistance; and to prepare clear concise personal histories and factual reports.

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Education:

GS-7: Successful completion of 1 full year (18 semester hours) of graduate education with a Major in Social Sciences.

GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree.

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Combination of Experience and Education:

GS-7: Only education above a bachelor's degree with a major in social sciences is credible towards meeting the specialized experience requirements. Convert the education to a percentage by dividing the amount of credits by 18. Convert the experience to a percentage by taking the total months and dividing them by 12. Combine both the percentages and it must equal at least 100%.

GS-5: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Convert the education to a percentage by dividing the amount of credits by 60. Convert the experience to a percentage by taking the total months and dividing them by 12. Combine both the percentages and it must equal at least 100%.

NOTE: If you are not in the series for which applying, your application package must show evidence of meeting the OPM Qualification Standards; i.e., required course work (transcript/listing of courses); specialized experience; etc.

Part-Time or Unpaid Experience: Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience regardless of whether compensation was received or whether the experience was gained in a part-time or full-time occupation. Full-time work is generally considered to be 35 to 40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.